No Dry Eyes
^^^^^
Feel-bad story of the week: Noble old bullock that he is, it was unbelievably touching to watch McKinleyville’s Charles Ollivier — French bon vivant and retired longshoreman — stand up and take his final bow at the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning. The occasion was the board decision not to reappoint Ollivier to represent Humboldt County on the North Coast Railroad Authority, the public agency that owns the 10-years-dead tracks through the county. The railroad is one of the key components of the grand vision of cargo-centric economic revitalization that Ollivier has done more than anyone to promote, and his seat on its board of directors was the last perch from which the man could have had any direct influence on policy.
“I’m a cheerleader,” the smiling Ollivier told the Board of Supes Tuesday afternoon, after thanking them for allowing him to serve and giving them permission to go ahead and do what they needed to do. “Either way, I will continue to be a cheerleader for the creation of jobs here.”
And after a wrenching goodbye from gentlemanly supe Jimmy Smith, and over strong protest from Supervisor Jill Duffy, the board went ahead and cut the cord. They appointed new Eureka City Councilmember Linda Atkins, a former Caltrans engineer, to replace Ollivier on the NCRA board, thus acknowledging the fact that: a) the happy warrior lost his last election to the Humboldt Bay Harbor District by a 2-to-1 margin, and b) the large majority of the electorate now thinks that his vision of moving international freight through the county as an economic development strategy is impossible bordering on ludicrous.
None of which should prevent anyone from raising a glass of fine Bordeaux to the lovable old codger. Here’s hoping that he will infest our public spaces for many years to come.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent the town dandy
Jan. 13, 2011
The Golden Boy
Dec. 23, 2010
Wish Lists
Dec. 16, 2010
The Train Geeks Return
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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